By Samantha Seneviratne
- Total Time
- 25 minutes, plus at least 5 hours’ cooling and freezing
- Rating
- 4(405)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Inspired by butter-pecan ice cream, this cake combines crunchy praline with graham crackers, coffee ice cream and fudge sauce to make an impressive, but easy to assemble dessert. Store-bought pralines are perfect here, but if you can’t find them, you can make them from scratch with pantry staples. While they can be a little tricky, even a failed praline tastes great nestled in an ice cream cake, but toffee brickle or even just plain chopped nuts could stand in for the praline, too. While you could certainly buy fudge sauce, it’s the one component that is definitely better homemade, just sweet enough and deeply chocolatey. Make a double batch for future sundaes.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 1½cups/355 milliliters heavy cream
- ⅔cup/145 grams light or dark brown sugar
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½teaspoon salt
- ¾cup/70 grams Dutch-process or natural cocoa, sifted
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1½quarts/48 ounces coffee ice cream (about 3 pints)
- 10graham crackers (about 6 ounces/160 grams)
- 2cups/340 grams chopped store-bought or homemade praline, plus more for serving
- ¾cup/180 milliliters cold heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks just before serving
For the Fudge Sauce
For Assembly
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
535 calories; 36 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 37 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 285 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the fudge sauce: Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, butter and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
Step
2
Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for another minute or two, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Run the sauce through the sieve into the bowl, working out any lumps directly in the sieve. Stir in vanilla. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. (You should have about 2 cups.) About 30 minutes before you assemble the cake, remove the ice cream from the refrigerator to soften.
Step
3
To assemble the cake, spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray. (This is just to help keep the plastic in place.) Press plastic wrap into the pan, making it as smooth as possible against the bottom and sides of the pan, leaving a 3-inch overhang on each of the two long sides.
Step
4
Spread one third of the softened ice cream (about 2 cups) evenly over the bottom of the pan. (If your ice cream is still too firm to spread, cut it into slices, arrange them in a layer and smooth using an offset spatula.) Lay 3 crackers over the top, breaking them to fit as needed. Top with ⅓ of the fudge sauce (about ⅔ cup), using an offset spatula to spread evenly, and half of the praline, patting into an even layer. Top with another ⅓ of the ice cream, 3 more crackers, ⅓ more fudge sauce and the remaining praline. Finish with the remaining ⅓ of ice cream and 4 more crackers. Use the plastic overhang to wrap the cake up tightly and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
Step
5
To serve, unwrap the plastic wrap, then quickly rub the outside of the pan with a warm, moistened kitchen towel to loosen. Flip out onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. Top with whipped cream and more chopped praline. Cut slices with a knife dipped in hot water. (If too hard to slice, let sit for a few minutes to soften.) Serve with the remaining fudge sauce, warmed, if desired.
Ratings
4
out of 5
405
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Nancy
I make a version of this from an old Bon Appetit recipe. I use 2 pints of Cherry Garcia, one pint of vanilla in the middle, and crushed amaretti cookies for the cookie portion, with a milk chocolate sauce. It's called Cherry-Almond Ice Cream Cake with Milk Chocolate Sauce and is available on Epicurious. I know this isn't a review for this recipe, but it's so good, I figured I'd pass on the tip. I will definitely try this one at some point.
Viki
Crunched Sees candy toffee.
AnOddLittleGirl
Shhh! We do not need this kind of talk! ;)I would rather skip protein shake, salad and blah grilled salmon and eat this.
Marian
Steps 3 and 4 detail the type of pan and use of plastic wrap.
BluntSage
Just apply this one right to your thighs
SpringPansy
I like the s'mores idea but I'm a little worried that the graham crackers will soften and not be crunchy. So maybe oreos with choc/coffee/kahlua? But that said I like the version here (praline crunch) with whatever ice cream you like.
Meg C
This throws me into a tizzy. My Dad and I are making a going away cake for my daughter as she heads to grad school; we were planning a baked alaska. But she's agnostic about meringue. This recipe explodes possibilities of her favorite flavors: graham crackers for the crunch, then choc and marshmallow sauces and choc/van ice cream for a s'mores version OR oreo for the crunch with choc/van or choc/coffee/kahlua. No need to do meringue in high humidity in August. Someone help me decide, please!
Sue
Working espresso powder into softened vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream is a great option so long as you're shooting for swirls, not hom*ogeneity, since an even mix would require a lot of mixing. An alternative: add the espresso powder to the fudge sauce to make mocha sauce, and use liberally on vanilla ice cream.
Jim V.
I tried this in the recommended 9x5 loaf pan but could only get two layers of ice cream. Anyone else get all the ingredients to fit? Should the ice cream be close to liquified? Haven't tasted it yet - it's in the freezer right now. One the other hand, the attached link for making homemade pralines was helpful, I rarely ever use my microwave but it made the process very easy.
Susan, Luxembourg
Made using coffee ice cream recipe from “The Perfect Scoop”, caramelised walnuts, and speculoos biscuits (like gingerbread) dipped in Kahlua. Delicious. Looking forward to finding other flavor combinations
Z
There is no need to use cooking spray to keep plastic wrap in place, just dribbling a bit of water would suffice. So much waste goes in to making that product and it is not necessary. And maybe calling for parchment paper or a Silpat would be better than encouraging the use of more plastic?? We all can enjoy indulgences but giving instructions with unnecessary waste feels really wrong these days.
Peg
I used homemade vanilla ice cream, homemade praline, store bought fudge topping and graham crackers, for my sister’s birthday “cake”. It was a HUGE hit! I will be making this again.
Andi
I had the same experience: 2 cups per layer of ice cream meant I ran out of room in my loaf pan for the third layer. Would recommend 1.5 cups (or less?) per layer. For the coffee ice cream, I made Melissa Clark's custard ice cream base and flavored it with instant espresso. Repeated freezings and thawings meant the ice cream was a little granular in the end. Overall: "fine," not great.
Peg
…and I only got two layers in my loaf pan, too. It’s still wonderful, and I have a lot of leftovers to make sundaes with.
Annie B
f.y.i. Trader Joe's has the best coffee ice cream, ever: Coffee Bean Blast
Janet
This seems based on Blum's Coffiesta Sundae - a San Francisco mid century favorite. You could look that one up, as well.
susan
Instead of Graham crackers, I used crumbled up homemade chocolate chip cookies. Wow!
Venessa
All three layers fit in my 9x5 loaf pan. I cut a half gallon of ice cream into four equal parts, using 3/4 parts. Microwave praline was a great success!
MyB&Blife
I made this for a birthday party and it was a BIG hit! Made the recipe as written with the exception of the ice cream. I made my own using the coffee ice cream recipe from the Ben & Jerry's book I've used for decades. When I first tasted the fudge sauce I didn't think that I liked it and was sorry I didn't just make ganache. However it was just right in the final product. This recipe will become a family favorite.
Michelle Damico
I’m making tonight with leftover pecan Christmas cookies! Can’t wait! Thanks NYTimes. Always!
Shari Koser
Subbed Hershey's hot fudge sauce to save myself a little time. Delicious and loved by the whole family ... even the nut haters!
Susan, Luxembourg
Made using coffee ice cream recipe from “The Perfect Scoop”, caramelised walnuts, and speculoos biscuits (like gingerbread) dipped in Kahlua. Delicious. Looking forward to finding other flavor combinations
Alice
Having read the comments regarding insufficient volume in the loaf pan, I got out my own pans and they measure 8.5x4.5 inches. Betting the reader with volume issues had slightly smaller loaf pans than the recipe calls for, like mine. Excited to assemble tomorrow for husband’s birthday!
Jen
I agree with Peg: enjoyed by all. I used Simplyrecipies recipe for coffee ice cream (decaf coffee homemade ice cream - it’s awesome!!), made my pralines per the recommended recipe herein, and made the fudge as instructed. All told it was at LEAST a couple hours work, but for a special birthday cake, worth it! Only thing I skipped was the whipped cream on top, which i didn’t miss.Be aware quantities herein will be too much for a loaf pan.
Peg
I used homemade vanilla ice cream, homemade praline, store bought fudge topping and graham crackers, for my sister’s birthday “cake”. It was a HUGE hit! I will be making this again.
Peg
…and I only got two layers in my loaf pan, too. It’s still wonderful, and I have a lot of leftovers to make sundaes with.
Jim V.
I tried this in the recommended 9x5 loaf pan but could only get two layers of ice cream. Anyone else get all the ingredients to fit? Should the ice cream be close to liquified? Haven't tasted it yet - it's in the freezer right now. One the other hand, the attached link for making homemade pralines was helpful, I rarely ever use my microwave but it made the process very easy.
Andi
I had the same experience: 2 cups per layer of ice cream meant I ran out of room in my loaf pan for the third layer. Would recommend 1.5 cups (or less?) per layer. For the coffee ice cream, I made Melissa Clark's custard ice cream base and flavored it with instant espresso. Repeated freezings and thawings meant the ice cream was a little granular in the end. Overall: "fine," not great.
Z
There is no need to use cooking spray to keep plastic wrap in place, just dribbling a bit of water would suffice. So much waste goes in to making that product and it is not necessary. And maybe calling for parchment paper or a Silpat would be better than encouraging the use of more plastic?? We all can enjoy indulgences but giving instructions with unnecessary waste feels really wrong these days.
Rie
But there’s no ice cream in Blum’s coffee cake crunch!
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